Mary Shelley's Frankenstein A Sourcebook

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is one of the most widely studied works of English literature, and Frankenstein's creature is a key figure in the popular imagination. This sourcebook examines Mary Shelley's novel within its literary and cultural contexts, bringing together material on: *the contexts from which Frankenstein emerged *the novel's early reception *adaptation and performance of the work (from theatre to pop music) *recent criticism. All documents are discussed and explained. The volume also includes offers carefully annotated key passages from the novel itself and concludes with a list of recommended editions and further reading, to allow readers to pursue their study in the areas that interest them most. This sourcebook provides an ideal orientation to the novel, its reception history and the critical material that surrounds it.

Contents. Acknowledgements. List of illustrations. General Introduction. Section 1. Contexts: 1. Contextual Overview, 2. Chronology of Mary Shelley, 3. Contemporary Documents Section 2. Interpretation: 4. Presumption, science and religion: early receptions of Frankenstein, 5. Why did you make me like this?! Performing Frankenstein, 7. Modern Criticism Section 3. Key Passages: 7. Key passages: extracts from the novel, 8. Recommended editions and further reading, 9. Directory of Proper Names, 10. Index.

Timothy Morton teaches English at the University of California, Davis, USA. His publications includeThe Poetics of Spice (2000), and Shelley and the Revolution in Taste (1994), and he is editor of Radical Food (2000).